The Christmas Cabin
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: xOOx The first real Christmas they spend as a couple. Too bad it seems no matter what they do, it's a disaster. MackxRose
1. Road Trip

_A/N: I recently looked back at some of my older work for this couple and realized I never wrote them a Christmas story. This will be fairly short, probably about five chapters. Enjoy._

**The Christmas Cabin**

"Are we ever going to get there?" Rose Ortiz asked impatiently. She was annoyed with her boyfriend. They had been in the car for nearly three hours and he refused to tell her where they were going. "I don't understand why you're being so secretive, anyway." She scowled, disapproving. If she didn't trust Mack, so completely, there would be no way she would stand for all the lack of information. As it was, she was sure she was slowly going insane.

To Rose's left, the former red ranger chuckled. "Yes, Rose, we will eventually reach the destination I have in mind. Now will you please do me a favor?" Mack reached for Rose from across the seat, folding his larger hand around her smaller one.

There was a slight note of apprehension in Mack's tone as he spoke this last part, as if he was certain she was going to ruin his fun. Rose glanced over at his face, softening a little as she took in his expression. His blue eyes were pleading, his eyebrows arched, lips pouting slightly just like a two year old…

She pretended to heave a dramatic sigh, but twisted in her seat to look at him better. "Yes, Mack?"

"Will you stop asking when we're going to get there and just concentrate on the trip itself? Does it really matter _when_ we get there? Think about it, we're young, we love each other, and we're in a warm toasty car on our way to a secret getaway at a place I know you'll love…" The hand he had intertwined with hers squeezed gently, and in the brief glimpse he got of her face, she smiled and nodded.

There was silence in the car for a few moments before Rose spoke again. Though Mack had painted a serene picture about this ridiculously mysterious vacation, not knowing was driving her crazy. "Can we stop for a minute?"

As always, Mack was trying to anticipate her needs. "Do you need to use the bathroom? Are you hungry?"

Rose shook her head. "I need to find out where we're going. I can't stand not knowing anymore." The former pink ranger frowned, trying to express just how irritated she was.

"Sorry, Rosie. It has to be a surprise."

The petite genius groaned. "I know we're going someplace cold. It won't matter where we're going, anyway. It's all covered in snow."

Mack pretended to consider this observation for a moment as if it might make a serious impact on his decision. Then he laughed and informed her, "No. I like it better this way. It's so rare to see you in the dark. I'll enjoy it just a little bit longer."

Rose took her hand back and folded her arms over her chest. She was peeved at Mack's childishness. The pink ranger leaned against the door, sulking a little at Mack's desire to tell her absolutely nothing. After a few miles of silence, she spoke. "This better be an amazing trip, Hartford. Being unenlightened for so long does not a happy Rose make."

"Don't worry." Mack stared straight ahead at the road, a small smile playing on his lips. "It will be."


	2. The Cabin

_A/N: As far as I know, Cedar Springs is a fictional town and lake. But if it's not, please correct me. :-)_

**The Christmas Cabin**

Thirty minutes later, the couple's car slid to a stop. Rose, still anxious to know where they were, opened the door. Before she could climb out, however, Mack seized her elbow and tugged her back to her original position. "Please, Rose, let me do this my way."

Having convinced Rose to stay put for the time being, the former ranger leader opened the compartment between the seats and pulled out a pair of thick red gloves. He fitted them over his hands before looking over at Rose. "You might want to put yours on, too."

The petite pink ranger took a pair of white gloves from her purse and slipped them on as Mack got out and went around the car. He opened the passenger side door for Rose. As she stood, her legs protested slightly because they'd been stationary for so long, and she groaned softly. Mack placed a gloved hand over Rose's brown eyes.

"Oh, honestly," she grumbled. Mack laughed as he guided her slowly, his other hand on the small of her back.

"You can see now," he told her once he'd placed her where she could see everything. He removed his hand to keep his promise, watching with a smile as Rose looked around in wonder.

She let out a tiny gasp of surprise at the scene. They were standing a few yards away from a perfectly square cabin, complete with a snow covered roof and frosted windows. The little cabin was in the middle of a semi-circle of towering pine trees, which had many glittering icicles dangling from their branches. "This is so beautiful," Rose breathed, fogging up the air in front of her.

"Merry Christmas," Mack offered, grinning. "You know, I was just so tired of us being followed around by the media back home, and I just wanted us to have a nice, quiet Christmas. I mentioned it to Dad; he suggested this place." Mack reached for Rose's hand, lacing their fingers together just as he had in the car. "It _is_ our first Christmas together and all."

The petite pink ranger smiled widely. "This is perfect. Thank you for sharing it with me." Rose took a few steps towards the front door, dragging Mack with her. "Let's go inside. I'm chilly."

"I will fix that." Mack found his key ring in his jeans pocket and searched through it for a moment before singling out a tarnished silver key. He slid it into the lock and turned it to the right. The door clicked as it was unlocked, and Mack pushed it open.

Rose flitted past him, eager to be able to feel her toes again. She scrunched her face slightly when she found there was no added warmth in the house. "I could have stayed outside for this," she muttered.

Mack couldn't help but grin. "I promise I will fix it." The curly haired man closed the door and ventured further into the cabin, taking off his gloves as he went. He crossed the little hall into the bigger room at the back of the house. Rose followed her boyfriend, hoping he was directing her to a warm bed.

He was not. In the big room at the south end of the cabin was a large stone fireplace that took up most of the wall. It was not better than a bed with flannel sheets and a thick comforter, but definitely fitting for cuddling. "I'll have this lit in no time," she heard Mack call, already arranging logs from the neat stack on the hearth.

Rose pulled her gloves off as well and sat next to Mack, helping him. When they had enough logs in the fireplace, Mack produced a small red plastic lighter and a container of starter fluid. He busied himself with these items as the pink ranger next to him stood again. She started down another little hallway, discovering an additional three rooms. The cabin was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside.

As she wandered, she heard Mack loudly proclaim, "Victory!" At this triumphant statement, Rose went back the way she had come to see Mack standing in front of the stone fireplace, clearly proud of the roaring fire he had made. "It's a nice fire," Rose said truthfully. The heat from the flames had already filled the room, for which Rose was immensely thankful.

"I know. I'm amazing like that." Mack crossed to where Rose was standing, pulling her close and kissing the top of her dark hair. "I'm going to get our stuff."

Rose had forgotten all about the fact that they had luggage in the trunk of the car. Mack, when he had told her they were going away for Christmas, had also told her to bring the gifts she had bought for him…which were all unwrapped. Though she loved Mack dearly, Rose had no doubt that he would peek if left alone. Reluctantly, Rose left the now warm cabin and ran after Mack.

"Dang," Mack called as he heard Rose crunch through the snow to stand beside him. She pushed him playfully as she selected her shopping bags from the piles of suitcases. "You are no fun," he whined.

Rose smiled, shaking her head. She then deposited her bags on the snow covered ground before standing on her tiptoes and reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing herself close. "Maybe later I can change your mind," she murmured in his ear.

With that, Rose bent down to pick up the bags and turned away. She had gotten halfway back to the house before Mack caught her. He pulled her backwards to lean against him, his arms around her waist. "Tease," Mack complained as Rose laughed.

Rose broke free and turned to face him. She stood on her tiptoes again to kiss him briefly and then ran back to the cabin. Mack followed her in, going into the kitchen off the front hallway. He was hungry, and it was nearly seven o'clock. "Rose?"

The petite pink ranger has found what she assumed was to be their bedroom during the trip and was looking for a place to stash Mack's gifts. She eventually decided on a bedside cabinet and then followed the direction Mack's voice had come from to a kitchen. As usual, Rose found Mack standing in front of the refrigerator.

"Hungry?" Mack asked as Rose crossed the highly polished wooden floor to stand next to him.

"Yes."

"Well it's lucky for you Dad occasionally has the local cleaning service tidy up and leave food whenever someone's staying here. There's a whole grocery store's worth of food in the fridge." Mack opened both the refrigerator and freezer doors to prove his point.

"Let's have raviolis and garlic bread." Rose examined the frozen bag of pasta and turned to Mack. "Where would I find a pot to boil water in?"

Instead of answering, the red ranger opened the nearest cupboard and found the item his girlfriend had asked for.

As dinner cooked, Rose looked around the cabin, appreciating it more now that she was warm and knew dinner was on the way. The little log house seemed like it was bigger than most others of its kind, but then again, the Hartford name had quite reputation to maintain. If there was a family motto, it was probably "Go big or go home."

The cabin played on the rustic motif nicely. The table and chairs in the kitchen were made to look like they had been carved straight from a tree, and so were the cabinet handles. The big room, seen clearly from the kitchen, had a big rug on the hardwood floor and it appeared to have been made from some animal. Next to the fireplace was a big leather couch with a thick brown afghan draped over it.

"Dinner," Mack announced, and Rose went to sit at the table. Mack brought the pasta over to the table along with the garlic bread. Rose served both and them and then took a bite. "So," Mack said after she had swallowed, "Do you want to know where we are?"

"I thought we were in a cabin."

Mack had to laugh. "Clever. But really, the cabin is just outside Cedar Springs, if you're interested in knowing. We can go ice skating and cut down our own tree and make Christmas cookies…"

"Tradition," Rose summarized before taking another bite. "It's a brilliant idea." She beamed at Mack, once again happy that he had wanted to share this with her,

After cleaning up dinner, the young couple went to enjoy their fire. They cuddled under the afghan, content just to be together.


	3. Oh, Christmas Tree Oh, Christmas Tree

**The Christmas Cabin**

When the happy couple woke the next morning, they were snuggled together, toasty from the piles of blankets on their bed. Rose yawned as she moved her head to rest on her boyfriend's chest. She looked up at him, smiling sleepily, and he tightened his arms around her small figure.

"Good morning, Rose," Mack murmured, brushing hair out of Rose's eyes. "Sleep well?"

Rose bobbed her head before straightening up. She stretched, yawning again. When she was done, the pink ranger found her bathrobe and slippers and proceeded to bundle up. "Should stuff for French toast be in the kitchen?"

Mack had joined Rose in the process of gathering warm clothes. "There should be. Do you want me to start the coffee?"

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around," Rose said in a teasing tone as she left their bedroom. The tiny pink ranger bustled into the cabin's cozy kitchen, going straight for the biggest cabinet at the opposite end of the room.

She was pleased to find a small container of cinnamon. Rose set it on the counter before going to the refrigerator for the eggs and milk.

The petite raven haired girl hummed a Christmas song as she mixed the batter. Mack came in as the first piece of batter coated bread was put in the frying pan. He joined his girlfriend in humming as he prepared the coffee.

"It _is_ cold outside," Mack grinned. "Breakfast smells good." As the coffee maker bubbled and dripped, Rose stacked the French toast neatly on a plate. She crossed the kitchen, breakfast plate in hand. Mack poured the coffee and joined Rose at the kitchen table.

"So, what do you want to do today?" the retired red ranger asked when they had nearly finished breakfast. He took a sip of coffee as he waited for Rose to respond.

The pink genius considered Mack's question. She chewed thoughtfully. "I think first things first. We need to pick a tree."

The smile that broke out on Mack's face was reminiscent of a small child receiving a new toy. "I hoped you would say that. I did a bit of research. We need a permit to cut down a tree, and because I think ahead, I took care of it already. We can go right after breakfast."

It was hard for Rose not to smile back. This was Mack's first real Christmas, too. Her family's celebrations were far from joyous, and last year Mack had still been away with his father. But he seemed determined to do this right, and Rose appreciated the effort.

After showering and bundling up in coats, gloves and scarves, the Overdrive couple headed off to find the perfect tree. They crunched through the snow hand in hand, eyes peeled for any suitable candidate.

Rose had her heart set on "The Tree" only ten minutes later. She walked around the Douglas fir, studying the specimen with a careful eye. "It's this one. It's a great tree: perfect size, no bare spots, no bent branches…" Rose stepped back to where her red clad boyfriend stood, an eager grin plastered on her pretty face. "Cut it down."

He could not resist this anxious, childlike smile. "Only 'cuz you're so cute when you really want something," Mack clarified with a smile of his own. He leaned down to kiss Rose quickly before removing the ax he had been carrying over his shoulder.

Due to Mack's super strength, one blow was plenty to chop the tree down. However, he made a near fatal mistake in judging the position of Rose and the Christmas tree. As the Christmas tree started to tip, Mack realized the flaw. Rose was far too close to the tree, and she wasn't paying attention.

Mack only had about five seconds to make his move. He did the only thing he could do: he reached for the tree, gripping it tight, and yanked it back. Rose finally looked up, her beautiful chocolate eyes wide with horror.

The red ranger set the murderous Christmas tree back on the snow gently. He slowly backed away, stopping at Rose's side. Had the tree not just tried to kill Rose, Mack might have laughed. The once perfect Christmas tree now looked like someone had attempted to strangle it. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"You broke the tree," Rose said finally, staring up at him. "You killed it."

"If I didn't break the tree, it would have broken you," Mack pointed out. "I'd much rather have a mangled tree than a mangled Rose."

0o0o0o0

The red and pink rangers bought their first Christmas tree together at a tree lot in town. "Maybe next time," Mack amended before taking a bite of the candy cane the worker had given him. "I'm sure there's at least one tree that doesn't want to crush someone."

"I hope so," Rose muttered. "Where to next? Do we need decorations?"

"We sure do. I also insist that we buy cookie dough and cookie cutters. Christmas is not Christmas without sugar cookies shaped like snowmen." Mack pressed the button on his keychain to unlock the red SUV doors and let Rose get in while he mounted the tree on top of his vehicle.

With the tree secured to the roof of their car, the retired rangers trotted into a store. They got a few curious gazes as they looked for the section to find decorations in, but no one seemed brave enough to actually speak. "I could get used to this," Mack whispered to Rose. She nodded in agreement.

Then, bright as the sun, was the decorative aisle. Mack let out a laugh and ran down the section, pulling off random items from the shelves as he went. Rose rolled her eyes before letting a smile come over her. She knew how much this Christmas meant to Mack.

Rose Ortiz was nothing if not practical. She carefully selected five strands of red tinsel and a box filled with different sized pink bulbs. The retired ranger put the decorations for the tree into the green grocery cart. As she continued down the aisle, Rose hummed the same song from this morning.

By the time she finally caught up to Mack, Rose had added an array of ornaments to the cart as well as a few boxes of multicolored lights for the tree. Mack was examining two ornaments, that slightly crazy smile Rose connected to utter childishness clear on his face.

"Can I see?" the tiny pink ranger asked of her boyfriend, reaching for them. Mack proudly forked over the small items for Rose to look at.

It was them. Well, the rangers, anyway. There was a red ranger posed with his Drive Lance, and a pink with her Drive Geyser. "Cute, aren't they?" Mack asked.

Rose didn't answer, but put them in the cart. She then went to find the baking portion of the store.

Casually, Rose tossed in two rolls of sugar cookie dough and a jar filled with different cookie cutters. "Let's go home."


	4. Christmas Cookies

**The Christmas Cabin**

An hour later, the former Overdrive rangers were back at the cabin. Christmas was officially underway for Rose and Mack.

Mack carried the tree in single handedly while Rose started to prepare the cookies. She rummaged through the cabinets to find a cutting board, a rolling pink, and cookie sheets. The pink ranger set these items on the counter and turned the oven on to pre–heat.

Once finished with these tasks, Rose went into the back room where the fireplace was. She found Mack was wrestling the tree into the stand. Rose smiled at the scene – it was so _Christmas_ to be putting a tree in the living room. She stepped inside the room, surveying the tree's position.

Rose's voice caught him slightly off guard. "I think it's a little too close to the fireplace. You never know, right?" Mack jumped slightly before moving backwards, trying to see things from Rose's perspective.

"You're right," Mack decided. He seized the tree stand once more and shifted the tree about a foot towards the kitchen. "Better, isn't it?"

The tiny pink ranger bobbed her head in agreement. "Of course it's better like this. I suggested it," Rose teased. Mack rolled his blue eyes. Then he grabbed Rose's hand and towed her back into the kitchen.

"Time for cookies," Mack explained. He opened the refrigerator door and took out the cookie dough. Mack handed the dough to Rose. "I'll be right back," the red ranger promised Rose. Mack disappeared from the kitchen so quickly that Rose was sure he'd borrowed some super speed from Ronny.

The retired pink ranger had spooned some cookie dough onto the cutting board when Mack reappeared holding a CD case. "I almost forgot. I bought this a few days ago so we could play it while we did our various Christmas activities." The curly haired man opened the packaging and slid the disk into a small CD player resting on one of the countertops.

Holiday music filled the room. Mack immediately began to sing along, though he was completely off key. Rose joined him in the singing – it was Christmas, after all. She even danced her way over to where Mack stood to pull him back to the counter she had designated to be cookie station.

"In a good mood, Rosie?" Mack questioned, taking a sample of the dough. Rose nodded happily as she began to roll out the cookie dough. "I'm glad." Mack watched her for a minute before realizing something. "Flour."

"Come on, you know 'Rosie' is pushing it. Don't start calling me 'Flower,'" Rose griped.

Mack shook his curly head. He went over to the largest cabinet. "This flour. We should put it on the cutting board so the dough doesn't stick. It's an old trick that Spencer showed me." The red ranger covered Rose's hand with his, bringing hers up to his lips for a moment before freeing both of their hands to lightly coat the dough in flour.

When Mack had finished this task, Rose gave rolling the dough another try. She was happy to see that the tip Mack had given her worked perfectly. In no time at all, the dough was flat.

"Me first," Mack insisted, waving a cookie cutter shaped like a snowflake. He pressed it into the dough, being careful not to press too hard. When the stencil was removed, a pattern had been copied into the dough. "Piece of cake," Mack said with his easy smile.

Rose selected a shape of her own. She stamped a reindeer onto the cookie dough and glanced up at Mack. "Like that, right?" He nodded, and then the pink ranger went at it again, this time with a Christmas angel.

When the retired Overdrive rangers had filled up a baking sheet with cookies, Mack slid it into the oven. He then returned to Rose, and with a mischievous smile, he gripped her waist and swung her up onto the counter. "Hi," he murmured.

She laughed, looping her arms around his neck. "Hi."

"You have flour on your cheek," Mack informed his girlfriend. Lightly, he ran his thumb over the spot, brushing the white powder away. Mack then pressed his lips to where the flour had been before bringing his mouth up to Rose's to kiss her.

After a minute of this, Rose pulled back. "As much as I enjoyed that, shouldn't we start decorating the tree?"

Mack considered Rose's question, looking very serious as he did so. "Will you put presents under the tree once it's finished?" Rose shook her head, smiling. Then she nodded. The red ranger let out a laugh just like the one in the store and pulled Rose down again.

Together, they managed to string the lights around the tree, as well as the tinsel. When the ranger couple was beginning to put up ornaments, a question crossed the pink ranger's mind. "Mack…don't take this the wrong way, but why are you acting like you're five?"

He needed a moment to think of the words to explain his thoughts. To buy his time, he quickly seized a snowman ornament and tried to find the exact right branch from which to hang it. "I guess it's because…I never got to be a kid. I can't help being excited."

Rose found Mack's hand and threaded her fingers through his. He caught her gaze when she did this, his blue eyes serious. She nodded in understanding, her expression conveying her empathy. "I thought it was something like that. I get it, Mack; I really do. I was never much of a kid, either."

The red ranger smiled suddenly as he abandoned the snowman and put his arms around Rose. "I bet you never even believed in Santa Claus."

"I did, until I was seven," Rose stated sadly. Mack kissed the top of her head in comfort. Rose continued, "Every year, the only thing I wanted for Christmas was to be adored by my parents the way Lindsay was. The Christmas I was seven, I finally figured out that it wasn't happening. So I stopped."

"Baby…"

But Rose shook her head firmly and planted a smile on her face. "I'm over it, Mack. It's all in the past. Now all I want is to think about the present, and better yet, the future."

"Our future," the red ranger corrected, and then he pecked her briefly on the lips before releasing her. Mack then returned to trimming the tree. Rose joined him, inhaling the pine scent of the tree as she worked.

Ten minutes later, a different smell wafted out of the kitchen towards the Overdrive rangers. Rose scrunched up her nose, turning to Mack. "Something is burning…" The pink genius' face twisted into a grimace as she realized. "The cookies."

Rose dashed into the kitchen, taking an oven mitt from the counter as she went. She opened the oven door, and immediately the kitchen was engulfed in thick gray smoke. Rose coughed as she managed to pull out the cookie sheet. She put it down on one of the counters, still hacking.

Mack made a face as he took in the cookies. They were charred beyond recognition. "Well, we tried," he said cheerfully. "We can toss these, I guess." The former red ranger began to rummage through the kitchen drawers for a spatula, but Rose's lack of response bothered him. Mack quickly abandoned his search and turned back to Rose. "Hey, are you alright? It's just a few cookies."

"I know they're just cookies, Mack, but it was important to you to have them. It's a tradition, and –"

"It's only important to me that you're happy, Rosie," Mack replied sweetly. "I wanted to share all this with you because Christmas is generally an experience we missed out on. A few burned cookies don't matter one bit. If you want to make Christmas cookies, we will. I just want us to have a real Christmas, just once."

Rose managed a small smile and found a spatula. She scraped the hopelessly burned cookies into the trash and put the cookie sheet into the sink. "We'll try cookies again next year," she decided.

"That's my girl," Mack grinned as he pulled Rose into a big hug once more.


	5. On Thin Ice

**The Christmas Cabin**

Rose woke up bright and early the day after the horrible tree and cookie disasters. The former pink ranger was determined to start anew today, as far as Christmas related activities went. As she sat up and stretched her arms over her head, she confidently told herself today would be free of mishaps.

She carefully climbed out of bed so as not to wake Mack. After wrapping herself in her pink fleece bathrobe, Rose collected her paperback and went out into the kitchen.

When the coffee was ready, Rose sat at the table to drink it. She opened her novel to the place where she'd left off and let herself get carried away with the characters.

It was so quiet in the snug little cabin and Rose was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't hear Mack get up. He shuffled into the kitchen sleepily, pausing to kiss the top of Rose's head. Surprised, Rose jumped before narrowing her eyes at Mack. "You couldn't have just said 'Good morning?'"

"What fun would that be?" he retorted with a cheeky grin. Rose rolled her eyes, hitting him playfully before turning back to her book. Mack poured himself coffee and joined Rose at the table.

He was content to watch her, but the tiny pink ranger couldn't stand to be stared at. "That's creepy," Rose informed her boyfriend matter of factly. "Don't you have any other way to entertain yourself?"

"Nope. I like doing this."

"Why?" Rose demanded as she slammed her book shut.

"Because it clearly bothers you," he replied. Then he laughed. "I'm kidding. So…we have the whole day ahead of us. What do you want to do?"

Still annoyed that he'd snuck up on her, she shrugged. She waited for him to come up with an idea, absentmindedly tracing the book's title with her index finger. Mack grabbed her hand, folding his fingers around hers.

"I know that my brilliant Rose has to have _something_ she wants to do while we're up here…this is the definition of 'winter wonderland.' The ground is covered in snow, there are icicles hanging from the trees…" Mack's voice took on a suggestive tone, "Extra _cuddling_ for warmth is practically a requirement…"

Rose's cheeks blushed faint pink. "I don't know. I picked getting the tree yesterday, and look how well _that_ turned out. Maybe _you_ should pick."

The former red ranger relinquished his hold on Rose's hand. He picked up his coffee mug. He slowly left the kitchen, as if moving quickly would affect his ability to think. Curious as to why he had randomly walked away, Rose followed.

She found him standing at the window in the very front of the cabin, the curtains opened. Mack appeared to be looking out at the lake in the distance. "Bingo!" Mack exclaimed brightly, finding Rose's hand with his free one.

Rose knew exactly what Mack was thinking, but it would be more fun (for him, anyway) to explain. She knew from experience that most times, it was best to just indulge Mack. "So what's the great idea?" Rose hid a smile as Mack looked down at her.

"Ice skating," Mack stated. The tone of his voice clearly said it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Rose had to remind herself about their discussion last night. _'We've never had a good Christmas, we've never had a good Christmas,'_ she silently chanted for a moment before letting a big smile cross her face. "That's a great plan," Rose said carefully. "But where are we going to get ice skates?"

It appeared he had been anticipating this question. "I may have bought two pairs before we came up here." Mack grinned widely. "You aren't getting out of this, Rosie."

She groaned softly. "I figured as much. I won't argue, I promise. Want to eat first?"

"Do I ever turn down food?"

0o0o0o0

They crunched through the snow towards the frozen lake, skates slung over their shoulders. Rose wasn't looking forward to skating; she wasn't known for being light on her feet. But Mack was excited – again – and his enthusiasm was both endearing and something of a motive for the retired pink ranger. She reminded herself yet again of their discussion from the night before.

Rose put on a smile for Mack as they folded themselves onto a bench located next to the lake. "I'm glad we're doing this. It might be fun."

Her boyfriend frowned slightly at this statement. "What do you mean it _might_ be fun? It's going to be great. You know, we could probably even go professional. We could be partners and win competitions and do endorsements…I bet any company would love rangers as their spokespeople…"

Mack focused his gaze on her, looking for her reaction to his little joke. A smile crosses Rose's face for the briefest moment, but then her gaze saddened a bit. "What if I fall or something? I mean I –"

"Don't worry about it. If you fall, it's not like I'm going to laugh. Besides, I won't _let_ you fall. I won't let the mean old lake hurt you." The red ranger put his arms around Rose, one around her shoulders and one stretching across her diagonally, his hand resting on her hip.

He refused to let go of Rose until she cracked a smile, and after a minute his words sunk in. A tiny grin flashed across Rose's pretty face and Mack relinquished her. Mack then took off his boots and laced his brand new skates onto his feet.

Once this was done, Mack took two careful steps towards the edge of the lake. He hesitantly tried a few glides across the frozen water, finding that it wasn't too hard. He went across the lake once. "This isn't difficult, Rose; come on!" The red ranger turned to see Rose almost done lacing her skates.

The red ranger glided across the frozen surface yet again. He was almost back to Rose when there was a sickening crunch from somewhere behind him.

The red ranger glanced over his shoulder to see a crack zigzagging over the frozen lake. He looked back to his pink girlfriend, who was staring, her brown eyes wide with horror, at the crack.

If he didn't move very, very soon, he was going in the lake.

Mack leaned forward, skating very fast now. When he was close enough to the snow at the lake's edge, he gave a funny sort of belly flop, escaping from the frozen death trap.

Rose was at his side in an instant, her arms squeezing him as tightly as she was able to. She was more frightened than he had been. Rose's small frame was still shaking against him, her face buried in his chest. "Oh Mack, thank God you're alright."

"I should definitely have listened to you. This was _not_ fun." He draped his arms around Rose's petite form once more, hoping to calm her down. Her shakes subsided slightly, but she did not let go of him.

"Stupid, stupid boy," Rose muttered as she removed her face from its hiding spot.

The former Overdrive leader moved his hand up to Rose's head, his fingers stroking her dark silky hair in a comforting way. "Now Rose, how many times have we been over this? That's right: too many to count. I am, and always will be, a complete idiot."

Rose glared. "Don't I know it."

Mack pulled her closer, cradling her gently. As the ranger couple sat there holding each other, snow flakes gently began to fall on them. Rose still had the strange combination of fright and anger on her face. Mack let out a small sigh. "Don't be mad, Rose."

She tilted her chin up to look at him better. He gave her another smile, this one sweet and comforting. Then Mack gently took her face in his hands and brought his lips down to hers.


	6. Epilogue

**The Christmas Cabin**

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" sang a six year old girl. She then took a bite of her golden–brown cookie in the shape of a reindeer before skipping back into the main room of her family's winter vacation home.

Her mother paused in the process of stringing up tree lights. "Jamie, sweetheart, go see what's taking Daddy so long with the boxes of ornaments. We've got to get you and Serena to bed soon."

Jamie nodded compliantly before skipping off again. She found her father in the room they used for storage. Mack was digging through a clear plastic bin in search of some long forgotten Christmas treasure. "Daddy," Jamie chirped as she walked to where he sat. The elder Hartford abandoned his search.

"What can I help you with, Princess?" Mack asked as Jamie snuggled up to him happily.

"Mommy wants the decorations," the oldest Hartford child told her father. "She says me and Serena gotta go to bed soon." Jamie's bright blue eyes narrowed a bit as she furrowed her brow, "Why do we gotta go to sleep, anyway?"

Mack laughed as he set Jamie back on the dusty hardwood floor. "Good girls go to bed when their mommies and daddies say to. And you what happens to good girls on Christmas Eve…"

And his little Jamie let out a squeal of delight. "Santa Claus!"

The retired red ranger dropped a kiss on his daughter's hair. "Right you are." He then turned back to the box he'd been sifting through and scooped it up. He shooed Jamie into the living room and followed suit.

It was Jamie and Serena's favorite holiday tradition to decorate the family Christmas tree. Rose and Mack usually hung back during this process, smiling as they watched their girls. They sat on the big leather couch across from the tree, their year–old son, Matthew, on Rose's lap. Every so often one of the Hartford parents would remind the girls to hang the ornaments as high as they could reach.

The girls were about halfway done when Mack collected the youngest Hartford and took him to bed. Rose went to help Jamie and Serena, rearranging ornaments higher up on the tree as soon as the Hartford daughters weren't looking.

Mack rejoined his family, helping his wife and daughters trim the tree. Every so often he would put his arms around Rose's waist and pull her close, at which the girls would giggle. Rose would smile before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

When all the boxes were empty of decorations with two exceptions, Rose picked up Serena and Mack took Jamie by the hand. The Hartford parents took the girls into their room and proceeded to tuck them in. "Good night, sweetheart," Rose crooned to her eldest child, sweeping hair out of her daughter's baby blue eyes.

"When's Christmas?" Jamie asked sleepily, yawning. "How many more days do I have to wait?"

The retired pink ranger smiled. "Four more days, little Jay."

"Little Jay" snuggled deeper under the thick comforter and flannel sheets. "Too many," she murmured before closing her eyes.

The Hartford parents chuckled quietly as they left the room. "Well, it's nice that they look forward to Christmas," Rose mused. "I guess over the years we learned how to do things right."

"Just think, no trees tried to kill us this year," Mack teased lightly, kneeling before one of the many plastic storage bins and pulling out two carefully wrapped items. He handed the one swathed in pink tissue to Rose, keeping the red one for himself.

With a smile, she unwrapped her small package, revealing the tiny model ornament of herself in her ranger uniform. As Rose glanced back at her husband, she saw he had torn the paper off his as well. "This spot looks good," she said, hanging hers in the middle of the tree.

Mack hung the red ranger figure next to the pink one. "Perfect fit."

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."


End file.
